Bagent’s journey to becoming an NFL quarterback was not simple.

After high school, none of the country’s biggest colleges would give him a chance, so instead Bagent joined Division II college Shepherd, near his hometown of Martinsburg.

There, Bagent threw 1,400 completed passes for 17,034 yards and 159 touchdowns – all records for a Division II quarterback.

After going undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft, he was signed as a free agent by the Chicago Bears and listed as their third-choice quarterback to start the season.

Before the Bears’ Week Four game against the Denver Broncos, Bagent was promoted to the back-up role behind starter Justin Fields.

A fortnight later, an injury to Fields midway through Chicago’s game with the Minnesota Vikings meant Bagent was called upon to make his NFL debut.

“College ends and you wonder if you’ll ever play in a game again – there’s always that question,” said Bagent.

“Last season was just an amazing ride that only seemed to go up for me, so it’s caused me to fall in love with football even more.

“It’s caused me to fall in love with the city of Chicago and the Bears, and it’s something that my family has been very proud of.

“That always takes the cake for me. As long as I can have my people be proud of what I’m doing, no matter what that is, then I’m usually a pretty happy guy.”